Shirt



(No Model.)

T. M. DENHAM.

SHIRT.

No. 250,792. Patented Dec. 13,1881.

Elma/5w; jwwzvz" j @gm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. DENHAM, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHIRT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 250,792, dated December 13, 1881.

Application filed October 17, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, THOMAS M. DENHAM, of New Bedford, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manner of Attaching a Shirt-Bosom to the Shirt; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention is an improvement in the mauner of attaching the shirt-bosom to the frontor body of the shirr,so that the bosom itselfshall form an ellipse at its lower part, to open and shut with the motion of the body,theupperpart, where exposed to view, maintaining its perfect andsmooth appearance. Byreference topatent granted me, dated August 26, 1873, No.142,212, it will be seen the ellipse below is formed by attaching the shirt-bosom to the front of the shirt without cutting out any portion of the body-front. The lower portion of the bosom forms thefront or outer part of the ellipse, the body of the shirt the back or inner side. By experience I find that where the muslin of the shirt-body is made of very fine threaded and closely woven material the bosom cannot be made so stiff, and requires more labor to starch. To obviate this complaint Ipropose to cut out a piece from the body ofthe shirtand fill iuits place with a coarse material. I claim nothing new in making the bosom with coarse linings or backing, these being used for years, because they easily absorb and hold starch. My invention is in reality a spring or elliptic bosom joined to the shirt-body in sections, at different places, at the lower part of the bosom. I propose to make the bosom of two or more thicknesses, the back thickness to be of coarse material, completely filling in a space made in the body of the shirt of about the size of the bosom, the remaining thickness or thicknesses to be joined to the body or front, as shown by the annexed drawings.

In Fig. 2, D represents the body of the shirt and the bosom stitchedthereto on lines A to A and B to B on the sides, and from N to N at the bottom, thus leaving that portion of the bosom unstitched either to the body or back thickmass from A to NandfromBto N, asshown by dotted lines. This unstitched section across the lower part of the bosom, when raised or separated after ironing, will form the ellipse or weaker part-below the vest-opening, to bend more orless as the body ofthe wearer is more or less bent or stooping, and resumingils original shape or smoothness when returningto an erect or standing position.

In Fig. 1, M shows the back lining of the hosom stitched the whole length of its sides to the body D, from F to S and L to X, and across the bottom from S to X, the bosom to be made of two or more thicknesses, according to the number of plaits in it. Thus a bosom with only one plait in the center would require more than one thickness, while a bosom with three wide plaits, or thewhole width made up with plaits, would require no thickness other than the one back lining, which fills the space out out of the body. This way of setting in the bosom while retaining the ellipse is, I believe, a decided improvement on my old patent of 1873.

What I claim as my improvement is In combination with a shirt, a front or bosom composed of two or more thicknesses offabric, the back thickness being inserted in aspace or cut-out portion of the body fabric and stitched at all points, and the front thickness being united at the sides from A to B and at the bottom from N to N, leaving its lower portion unattached at the sides from A to N, so as to form an ellipse and spring-hinge, substantially as described and shown, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS M. DENHAM. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

E. WILLIAMs HERVEY, N. O. HATHAWAY. 

